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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Minnala Thendrala Medaiyil

From Ilamai · 1985

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
Malaysia Vasudevan, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Gangai Amaran
Details
Ilamai1985

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Minnalaa thendralaa medaiyil paaruIs it lightning or a gentle breeze? Look at the stage!
Haeheah heah haeheahHaeheah heah haeheah
Male
Kavinganaa pulavanaa paadalai keluIs he a poet or a scholar? Listen to the song!
Aahaah aahaahaa aah aahAahaah aahaahaa aah aah
Male
Kavalai illai paadukiromWe sing without any worries!
Male :Kaaval illai aadugiromMale : We dance without any restrictions!
Both :Idho…..thrathaarathaarathaaraathaaBoth : Here it comes…..thrathaarathaarathaaraathaa
Male
MinnalaaIs it lightning?
Male :AahaaMale : Aahaa
Male :ThendralaaMale : Is it a breeze?
Male :YaehaeMale : Yaehae
Male :Medaiyil paaruMale : Look at the stage!
Male :Haeheah haeheahMale : Haeheah haeheah
Male :KavinganaaMale : Is he a poet?
Male :AahaahMale : Aahaah
Male :PulavanaaMale : Is he a scholar?
Male :Yaehae….Male : Yaehae….
Male :Paadalai keluMale : Listen to the song!
Male :Haeheah haeheahMale : Haeheah haeheah
Male
Ullam vanna oonjal pottuSetting up a colorful swing in the heart,
Ingae aaduthu hahaaIt swings right here, haha!
Male :Vellam polae Inbam pongiMale : Joy overflows like a flood,
Ingae oduthu haeheah heah heahAnd flows right here, haeheah heah heah!
Male
Raagam therinthaal thaalam purinthaalIf you know the melody and understand the rhythm,
Neengal kooda paadalaam haeiYou too can sing along, haei!
Male :Naadi narambil bodhai yaeraMale : As intoxication rises in every vein and nerve,
Neengal kooda aadalaam aah…You too can dance along, aah…
Male :Kangalil nooru minnalgal paayaMale : As a hundred lightnings strike in the eyes,
Nenjodu nenjam pinnikklaam….haeiHearts can intertwine with hearts….haei!
Male
Minnalaa thendralaa medaiyil paaruIs it lightning or a gentle breeze? Look at the stage!
Aahaah aahaahaa aah aahAahaah aahaahaa aah aah
Male
Kavinganaa pulavanaa paadalai keluIs he a poet or a scholar? Listen to the song!
Haeheah heah haeheahHaeheah heah haeheah
Male
Kavalai illai paadukiromWe sing without any worries!
Haeheah heah haeheahHaeheah heah haeheah
Male :Kaaval illai aadugiromMale : We dance without any restrictions!
Both :Idho…..thrathaarathaarathaaraathaaBoth : Here it comes…..thrathaarathaarathaaraathaa
Male
MinnalaaIs it lightning?
Male :Aahaa….Male : Aahaa….
Male :ThendralaaMale : Is it a breeze?
Male :Yaehae…..Male : Yaehae…..
Male :Medaiyil paaruMale : Look at the stage!
Male :Haeheah haeheahMale : Haeheah haeheah
Male :KavinganaaMale : Kavinganaa
Male :AahaahMale : Aahaah
Male :PulavanaaMale : Pulavanaa
Male :Yaehae….Male : Yaehae….
Male :Paadalai keluMale : Listen to the song!
Male :Haeheah haeheahMale : Haeheah haeheah
Male
Kaalam engal kaiyil vanthaalIf time comes into our hands,
Thendral veesalaam dararaa thaara thaararaaThe gentle breeze can blow, dararaa thaara thaararaa!
Male :Naalum engal thottam thannilMale : Every single day in our garden,
Kuyilgal koovalaam hahaaCuckoos can sing, haha!
Male
Aalukkaalu thalaivan endruClaiming each person is a supreme leader,
Potti poosal illaiyae yaehaehae….There is no rivalry or conflict here, yaehaehae….
Male :Paasamennum noolilMale : On the thread called affection,
Naangal thoduththu vaiththa mullaiyae aahaaWe are the jasmine flowers strung together, aahaa!
Male
Ovvoru medai ovvoru pechchuEvery stage and every speech,
Ovvoru vidhamaai ingillaiyae….yaei….Is not fake or divided in different ways here….yaei….
Male
Minnalaa thendralaa medaiyil paaruIs it lightning or a gentle breeze? Look at the stage!
Haeheah heah haeheahHaeheah heah haeheah
Male
Kavinganaa pulavanaa paadalai keluIs he a poet or a scholar? Listen to the song!
Aahaah aahaahaa aah aahAahaah aahaahaa aah aah
Male
Kavalai illai paadukiromWe sing without any worries!
Male :Kaaval illai aadugiromMale : We dance without any restrictions!
Both :Idho…..thrathaarathaarathaaraathaaBoth : Here it comes…..thrathaarathaarathaaraathaa
Male
MinnalaaIs it lightning?
Male :AahaaMale : Aahaa
Male :ThendralaaMale : Is it a breeze?
Male :YaehaeMale : Yaehae
Male :Medaiyil paaruMale : Look at the stage!
Male :Haeheah haeheah kkrurooMale : Haeheah haeheah kkruroo
Male :KavinganaaMale : Is he a poet?
Male :AahaahMale : Aahaah
Male :PulavanaaMale : Is he a scholar?
Male :Yaehae….Male : Yaehae….
Male :Paadalai keluMale : Listen to the song!
Male :Haeheah haeheahMale : Haeheah haeheah

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This energetic, celebratory song from the 1985 film 'Ilamai' expresses youthful exuberance, freedom, and unity through music and dance. The performers invite the audience to leave their worries behind, join in the rhythm, and experience pure bliss as hearts intertwine and joyous floodwaters flow.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Rhetorical Question & Metaphor

Minnalaa thendralaa medaiyil paaru

Comparing the performer or music to lightning (minnal) and a breeze (thendral) using rhetorical questioning to highlight brilliance and softness.

Simile (Upamai)

Vellam polae Inbam pongi

Using 'polae' (like) to compare overflowing happiness to a surging flood.

Metaphor (Urvagam)

Paasamennum noolil Naangal thoduththu vaiththa mullaiyae

Metaphorically describing love/affection as a thread ('Paasamennum noolil') on which people are woven like jasmine flowers ('mullai').

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Kavalai illai paadukirom / Male :Kaaval illai aadugirom

Repetition of initial consonants like 'Kavalai' and 'Kaaval' to give a rhythmic beat.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Ilamai' (1985) is a lesser-known Tamil youthful drama album featuring lyrics by the prolific Vaali, characterized by high-energy dance chorus arrangements typical of mid-1980s Tamil cinema stage performance sequences.

Keep listening

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